Author: Robert Zimmerman
May 22, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- China’s Xichang spaceport brags that it had in 2022 zero injuries or casualties from rocket debris falling
This is one of China’s interior spaceports, so they apparently recognize that their rocket stages can fall on someone’s head, and are proud that in 2022 they avoided any such tragedies. Well, bully for them.
- Data from China’s Mars rover Zhurong suggests there was an ancient ocean once at its landing zone
The fundamental question remains: How could liquid water have been there in a climate that is too cold and an atmosphere too thin?
- India confirms it will launch Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon on July 12, 2023
The landing date near the south pole will be August 23, 2023.
- India targets May 29, 2023 for the next launch of its large GSLV rocket
It will place a GPS-type satellite into oribt.
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- China’s Xichang spaceport brags that it had in 2022 zero injuries or casualties from rocket debris falling
This is one of China’s interior spaceports, so they apparently recognize that their rocket stages can fall on someone’s head, and are proud that in 2022 they avoided any such tragedies. Well, bully for them.
- Data from China’s Mars rover Zhurong suggests there was an ancient ocean once at its landing zone
The fundamental question remains: How could liquid water have been there in a climate that is too cold and an atmosphere too thin?
- India confirms it will launch Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon on July 12, 2023
The landing date near the south pole will be August 23, 2023.
- India targets May 29, 2023 for the next launch of its large GSLV rocket
It will place a GPS-type satellite into oribt.
Pushback: California loses big for trying to force churches to violate their religious beliefs
Mary Watanaba, head oppressor
in California’s health system
They’re coming for you next: After California health authorities in 2014 imposed a mandate requiring requiring churches to provide elective abortion coverage to its employees, four churches sued, and after a long court battle, have now won a $1.4 million settlement.
Alliance Defending Freedom [ADF] attorneys represent Skyline Wesleyan Church, located in the San Diego area, in one federal lawsuit, and Foothill Church in Glendora, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, and The Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch in another. Both lawsuits challenged California’s abortion-coverage mandate. In both cases, the courts ruled that the U.S. Constitution protects the churches’ freedom to operate according to their religious beliefs, which include their belief in the sanctity of unborn lives.
The rulings in both lawsuits (here and here [pdfs]) not only release the churches from the illegal abortion mandate, they both require payments to ADF and the church’s local attorneys to pay all legal costs. Interesting, in both lawsuits Mary Watanabe, the director of the California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) was named, and in one case she was the only defendant. Unfortunately, she walks away unharmed, because DMHC will pay for everything, out of tax dollars.
What made the mandate especially egregious is that it was written in league with officials at Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, as shown by emails [pdf] between DMHC and those officials. » Read more
Mary Watanaba, head oppressor
in California’s health system
They’re coming for you next: After California health authorities in 2014 imposed a mandate requiring requiring churches to provide elective abortion coverage to its employees, four churches sued, and after a long court battle, have now won a $1.4 million settlement.
Alliance Defending Freedom [ADF] attorneys represent Skyline Wesleyan Church, located in the San Diego area, in one federal lawsuit, and Foothill Church in Glendora, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, and The Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch in another. Both lawsuits challenged California’s abortion-coverage mandate. In both cases, the courts ruled that the U.S. Constitution protects the churches’ freedom to operate according to their religious beliefs, which include their belief in the sanctity of unborn lives.
The rulings in both lawsuits (here and here [pdfs]) not only release the churches from the illegal abortion mandate, they both require payments to ADF and the church’s local attorneys to pay all legal costs. Interesting, in both lawsuits Mary Watanabe, the director of the California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) was named, and in one case she was the only defendant. Unfortunately, she walks away unharmed, because DMHC will pay for everything, out of tax dollars.
What made the mandate especially egregious is that it was written in league with officials at Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, as shown by emails [pdf] between DMHC and those officials. » Read more
Ancient volcano vent in the Martian southern cratered highlands?
Click for original image.
The nature of today’s cool image suggests both ancient and more recent geological activity, each coming from entirely different sources but both helping to shape the alien Martian surface.
The picture to the right, rotated, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was taken on March 13, 2023 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It shows what the science team has labeled an “elongated depression,” sitting in the middle of a relatively flat but very rough stippled circular plain about 60 miles in diameter. An MRO context camera picture, taken on February 19, 2012, covered the central strip of this plain, and shows that its surface is equally rough and stippled everywhere, with only a few craters and one or two slight changes in elevation.
So, how does this feature tell us both about the ancient and recent geological history of this spot on Mars?
» Read more
Click for original image.
The nature of today’s cool image suggests both ancient and more recent geological activity, each coming from entirely different sources but both helping to shape the alien Martian surface.
The picture to the right, rotated, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was taken on March 13, 2023 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It shows what the science team has labeled an “elongated depression,” sitting in the middle of a relatively flat but very rough stippled circular plain about 60 miles in diameter. An MRO context camera picture, taken on February 19, 2012, covered the central strip of this plain, and shows that its surface is equally rough and stippled everywhere, with only a few craters and one or two slight changes in elevation.
So, how does this feature tell us both about the ancient and recent geological history of this spot on Mars?
» Read more
Jellyfish galaxy plowing its way through the intercluster medium
Click for original image.
The European Space Agency (ESA) today released another in a series of images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope during the past two years of what astronomers call jellyfish galaxies, so named because such galaxies have tendrils that extend out beyond the galaxy like the tendrils of jellyfish. This new picture is to the right, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, and shows a galaxy about 900 million light years away.
[T]he space between galaxies in a cluster is … pervaded with a searingly hot plasma known as the intracluster medium. While this plasma is extremely tenuous, galaxies moving through it experience it almost like swimmers fighting against a current, and this interaction can strip galaxies of their star-forming gas. This interaction between the intracluster medium and the galaxies is called ram-pressure stripping, and is the process responsible for the trailing tendrils of this jellyfish galaxy.
The arrow in the image indicates the galaxy’s direction of travel through the intercluster medium, resulting in the outer parts of the leading arm to be pushed backward above the galaxy, while material at its rear trail behind. Note also the blue star-forming regions at the galaxy’s bow. The ram pressure is also apparently causing more star formation in this part of the galaxy compared to elsewhere.
Click for original image.
The European Space Agency (ESA) today released another in a series of images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope during the past two years of what astronomers call jellyfish galaxies, so named because such galaxies have tendrils that extend out beyond the galaxy like the tendrils of jellyfish. This new picture is to the right, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, and shows a galaxy about 900 million light years away.
[T]he space between galaxies in a cluster is … pervaded with a searingly hot plasma known as the intracluster medium. While this plasma is extremely tenuous, galaxies moving through it experience it almost like swimmers fighting against a current, and this interaction can strip galaxies of their star-forming gas. This interaction between the intracluster medium and the galaxies is called ram-pressure stripping, and is the process responsible for the trailing tendrils of this jellyfish galaxy.
The arrow in the image indicates the galaxy’s direction of travel through the intercluster medium, resulting in the outer parts of the leading arm to be pushed backward above the galaxy, while material at its rear trail behind. Note also the blue star-forming regions at the galaxy’s bow. The ram pressure is also apparently causing more star formation in this part of the galaxy compared to elsewhere.
Three government agencies now investigating the safety of methane-fueled rockets
We’re here to help you! It appears that three different federal agencies have been tasked to investigate the safety of methane-fueled rockets, which SpaceX, Relativity, Blue Origin, and others are beginning to use for their rockets. It burns cleaner and with more power than kerosene and is easier to handle than hydrogen.
Yet, the federal government under Biden now seems worried a new innovation in rocketry is being developed. First, the FAA is studying the explosive potential of such rockets, according to Brian Rushforth, the manager of the innovation division.
The FAA has set up a test stand at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. A crane 43 meters tall will be used to drop stainless steel containers containing mixtures of LOX and methane. A series of tests is planned to start in June on three-week intervals to measure the explosive power of that propellant combination. A second phase, tentatively scheduled for next year, will conduct similar tests with varying velocities. He said the data from those tests will be shared with other government agencies, such as NASA and the U.S. Space Force, along with launch vehicle developers.
Meanwhile, NASA and the Space Force are jointly doing a separate study on how methane-fueled rockets threaten the launch range and other nearby launchpads.
In all three cases it can be argued that these studies make sense. It also can be argued that the Biden administration is putting pressure on these agencies to find ways to squelch this new technology, especially because it is central to the development of SpaceX’s Superheavy/Starship rocket, and there is real hostility in Democrat/leftist circles to Elon Musk. This latter argument is further strengthened when you consider the explosive possibilities of hydrogen fuel, used by the space shuttle for decades as well as NASA’s SLS rocket. I can’t imagine its danger is less than methane. If hydrogen has been determined to be okay why should methane now be considered a threat?
Either way, we can be sure of one thing: These studies will slow down development by SpaceX and others of these new methane-fueled rockets. They will also provide ammunition for outside environmental groups who want to file further lawsuits against these companies to stop their rockets from launching.
We’re here to help you! It appears that three different federal agencies have been tasked to investigate the safety of methane-fueled rockets, which SpaceX, Relativity, Blue Origin, and others are beginning to use for their rockets. It burns cleaner and with more power than kerosene and is easier to handle than hydrogen.
Yet, the federal government under Biden now seems worried a new innovation in rocketry is being developed. First, the FAA is studying the explosive potential of such rockets, according to Brian Rushforth, the manager of the innovation division.
The FAA has set up a test stand at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. A crane 43 meters tall will be used to drop stainless steel containers containing mixtures of LOX and methane. A series of tests is planned to start in June on three-week intervals to measure the explosive power of that propellant combination. A second phase, tentatively scheduled for next year, will conduct similar tests with varying velocities. He said the data from those tests will be shared with other government agencies, such as NASA and the U.S. Space Force, along with launch vehicle developers.
Meanwhile, NASA and the Space Force are jointly doing a separate study on how methane-fueled rockets threaten the launch range and other nearby launchpads.
In all three cases it can be argued that these studies make sense. It also can be argued that the Biden administration is putting pressure on these agencies to find ways to squelch this new technology, especially because it is central to the development of SpaceX’s Superheavy/Starship rocket, and there is real hostility in Democrat/leftist circles to Elon Musk. This latter argument is further strengthened when you consider the explosive possibilities of hydrogen fuel, used by the space shuttle for decades as well as NASA’s SLS rocket. I can’t imagine its danger is less than methane. If hydrogen has been determined to be okay why should methane now be considered a threat?
Either way, we can be sure of one thing: These studies will slow down development by SpaceX and others of these new methane-fueled rockets. They will also provide ammunition for outside environmental groups who want to file further lawsuits against these companies to stop their rockets from launching.
Indian company joins the high altitude balloon tourist race
A new company from India, Space Aura, is proposing to fly tourists on a high altitude balloon by 2025, joining the global competition that already includes two American balloon companies as well as one Spanish company.
Space Aura’s capsule, christened prototype SKAP1, will be tethered to a high performance ‘space balloon system’, complete with an enormous parachute. The capsule will accommodate six tourists and one pilot with ample leg room and comfortable walking space. It will be pressurised during flight and will have environmental control and life support systems that maintain oxygen, pressure, and temperature levels.
Even though passengers will not experience microgravity, they would still need to prepare before flying. Prior to the launch, which will be from Karnataka, Maharashtra, or Madhya Pradesh, the group of space tourists will undergo a week of basic physical training. The duration of the entire flight is expected to be about 5.5 to 6 hours. Tourists will ascend for about 90 minutes, spend an hour gazing out at the earth below, and begin their 90-minute descent with the balloon and parachute.
The two American companies, Space Perspective and World View, claim they will be flying tourists by 2024, while the Spanish company, Halo Space, is targeting 2025.
A new company from India, Space Aura, is proposing to fly tourists on a high altitude balloon by 2025, joining the global competition that already includes two American balloon companies as well as one Spanish company.
Space Aura’s capsule, christened prototype SKAP1, will be tethered to a high performance ‘space balloon system’, complete with an enormous parachute. The capsule will accommodate six tourists and one pilot with ample leg room and comfortable walking space. It will be pressurised during flight and will have environmental control and life support systems that maintain oxygen, pressure, and temperature levels.
Even though passengers will not experience microgravity, they would still need to prepare before flying. Prior to the launch, which will be from Karnataka, Maharashtra, or Madhya Pradesh, the group of space tourists will undergo a week of basic physical training. The duration of the entire flight is expected to be about 5.5 to 6 hours. Tourists will ascend for about 90 minutes, spend an hour gazing out at the earth below, and begin their 90-minute descent with the balloon and parachute.
The two American companies, Space Perspective and World View, claim they will be flying tourists by 2024, while the Spanish company, Halo Space, is targeting 2025.
China launches two satellites yesterday, one for Macau
China yesterday used its Long March 2C rocket to launch two satellites into orbit, with one the first science satellite by Macau, designed to study the Earth’s magnetic field in conjunction with other satellites already in orbit.
No information that I could find was released about the second satellite. The launch, from China’s interior Jiuquan spaceport, dropped the rocket’s first stage somewhere in China. No word on whether it landed near habitable areas.
The leaders in the 2023 launch race:
34 SpaceX
19 China
6 Russia
4 Rocket Lab (with a launch scheduled for tomorrow)
American private enterprise still leads China 38 to 19 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 38 to 31. SpaceX by itself now tied trails in total launches with the rest of the world, including American companies, 34 to 35.
China yesterday used its Long March 2C rocket to launch two satellites into orbit, with one the first science satellite by Macau, designed to study the Earth’s magnetic field in conjunction with other satellites already in orbit.
No information that I could find was released about the second satellite. The launch, from China’s interior Jiuquan spaceport, dropped the rocket’s first stage somewhere in China. No word on whether it landed near habitable areas.
The leaders in the 2023 launch race:
34 SpaceX
19 China
6 Russia
4 Rocket Lab (with a launch scheduled for tomorrow)
American private enterprise still leads China 38 to 19 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 38 to 31. SpaceX by itself now tied trails in total launches with the rest of the world, including American companies, 34 to 35.
SpaceX launches Axiom’s second commercial manned mission to ISS
SpaceX today successfully used its Falcon 9 rocket to launch its Freedom manned capsule on its second flight, carrying four passengers on Axiom’s second commercial manned mission to ISS.
The Axiom crew included three paying passengers, one from the U.S. and two from Saudi Arabia, with the fourth crew member former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, now acting as Axiom’s commander. They plan to spend eight days docked to ISS. Making this commercial flight even more interesting is that the station already has a Middle Eastern commercial astronaut, from the United Arab Emirates. The Arab space race is clearing heating up.
The first stage was making its first flight, and successfully landed back at Cape Canaveral.
Were you aware this was happening? With my readers I expect so, but I am willing to bet that we are a very small minority. SpaceX has now made American manned spaceflight so routine almost no one pays attention.
The leaders in the 2023 launch race:
34 SpaceX
18 China
6 Russia
4 Rocket Lab
American private enterprise now leads China 38 to 18 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 38 to 30. SpaceX by itself is now tied in total launches with the rest of the world, including American companies.
SpaceX today successfully used its Falcon 9 rocket to launch its Freedom manned capsule on its second flight, carrying four passengers on Axiom’s second commercial manned mission to ISS.
The Axiom crew included three paying passengers, one from the U.S. and two from Saudi Arabia, with the fourth crew member former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, now acting as Axiom’s commander. They plan to spend eight days docked to ISS. Making this commercial flight even more interesting is that the station already has a Middle Eastern commercial astronaut, from the United Arab Emirates. The Arab space race is clearing heating up.
The first stage was making its first flight, and successfully landed back at Cape Canaveral.
Were you aware this was happening? With my readers I expect so, but I am willing to bet that we are a very small minority. SpaceX has now made American manned spaceflight so routine almost no one pays attention.
The leaders in the 2023 launch race:
34 SpaceX
18 China
6 Russia
4 Rocket Lab
American private enterprise now leads China 38 to 18 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 38 to 30. SpaceX by itself is now tied in total launches with the rest of the world, including American companies.
SpaceX launches 5 Iridium and 16 OneWeb satellites
SpaceX early today successfully used its Falcon 9 rocket to put five Iridium and sixteen OneWeb satellites into orbit, lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The first stage successfully completed its eleventh flight, landing on a drone ship in the Pacific. The two fairings completed their third and sixth flights respectively.
The leaders in the 2023 launch race:
33 SpaceX (with a launch scheduled for tomorrow)
18 China
6 Russia
4 Rocket Lab (with a launch scheduled for tomorrow)
American private enterprise now leads China 37 to 18 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 37 to 30. SpaceX now trails the entire world combined, including American companies, by only 33 to 34.
SpaceX early today successfully used its Falcon 9 rocket to put five Iridium and sixteen OneWeb satellites into orbit, lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The first stage successfully completed its eleventh flight, landing on a drone ship in the Pacific. The two fairings completed their third and sixth flights respectively.
The leaders in the 2023 launch race:
33 SpaceX (with a launch scheduled for tomorrow)
18 China
6 Russia
4 Rocket Lab (with a launch scheduled for tomorrow)
American private enterprise now leads China 37 to 18 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 37 to 30. SpaceX now trails the entire world combined, including American companies, by only 33 to 34.
May 19, 2023 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast
Embedded below the fold in two parts.
To listen to all of John Batchelor’s podcasts, go here.
» Read more
Embedded below the fold in two parts.
To listen to all of John Batchelor’s podcasts, go here.
» Read more
Don McMillan – Comedy for scientists
An evening pause: I wonder how many of my readers will get that last joke.
Hat tip Tom Biggar. And a great weekend to all.
May 19, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Australian company gets deal to develop technique with American company for using space junk for fuel
The press release [pdf] provides more details.
- Australian company gets approval to develop site for producing solid fuel and launching rockets
The company, Black Sky, appears a long way from actual launches.
- Video showing how equipment is moved from inside China’s Tiangong-3 station to outside without an astronaut EVA
Essentially they put the gear in the airlock, and then the robot arm, operated by an astronaut, pulls it out. From there however a spacewalk is usually required to install the gear, depending on what it is.
- Video taken by nearby bystanders of Long March 3B launch
“Nearby” is an understatement, especially considering this is a rocket using toxic hypergolic fuel. The videographer couldn’t have been more than a half mile away, and maybe as close as a quarter of a mile.
- FCC rules against Dish Network’s 5G plan, claiming it would interfere with Starlink
This decision illustrates the critical importance of acting fast in a competitive market. SpaceX moves fast, gets launched first, and thus automatically gets priority when conflicts occur with other systems that are only proposed.
- Space Perspective will offer high altitude balloon weddings in late 2024
Ticket prices will start at $125K per person.
- Russia and Uganda sign deal not to deploy weapons in space
This agreement, like the Biden administration’s call for a similar ban, is worthless. When it comes time that someone wants to use force in space, force will be used, whether morally right or not. And the victim will have no choice but to respond in kind. That simply is the way of all things.
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Australian company gets deal to develop technique with American company for using space junk for fuel
The press release [pdf] provides more details.
- Australian company gets approval to develop site for producing solid fuel and launching rockets
The company, Black Sky, appears a long way from actual launches.
- Video showing how equipment is moved from inside China’s Tiangong-3 station to outside without an astronaut EVA
Essentially they put the gear in the airlock, and then the robot arm, operated by an astronaut, pulls it out. From there however a spacewalk is usually required to install the gear, depending on what it is.
- Video taken by nearby bystanders of Long March 3B launch
“Nearby” is an understatement, especially considering this is a rocket using toxic hypergolic fuel. The videographer couldn’t have been more than a half mile away, and maybe as close as a quarter of a mile.
- FCC rules against Dish Network’s 5G plan, claiming it would interfere with Starlink
This decision illustrates the critical importance of acting fast in a competitive market. SpaceX moves fast, gets launched first, and thus automatically gets priority when conflicts occur with other systems that are only proposed.
- Space Perspective will offer high altitude balloon weddings in late 2024
Ticket prices will start at $125K per person.
- Russia and Uganda sign deal not to deploy weapons in space
This agreement, like the Biden administration’s call for a similar ban, is worthless. When it comes time that someone wants to use force in space, force will be used, whether morally right or not. And the victim will have no choice but to respond in kind. That simply is the way of all things.
Buried dying glacier in the Martian dry equatorial regions?
Click for original image.
Today’s cool image from Mars is not so much unique visually as it is unique in terms of its location. The picture to the right, rotated, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was taken on January 31, 2023 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It shows the northern rim of a small crater, with its floor filled with an intriguing mound of material.
The picture was labeled a “terrain sample”, which suggests it wasn’t taken as part of any specific research project by instead to fill a gap in the camera’s schedule. To maintain the camera’s proper temperature, it is necessary to take pictures regularly, and when the camera team finds a gap that is too long, they fill it by choosing some almost random target in that gap that might be interesting. Sometimes it is, sometimes not.
In this case I strongly suspect this target was hardly random. The picture title also mentions MRO’s now retired radar CRISM instrument, which was used to detect evidence of underground ice. My guess is that the camera team thus likely decided to image this crater in high resolution because that radar data suggested the presence of underground ice.
This guess is strongly confirmed by a context camera picture taken of this crater on September 1, 2008. The crater appears surrounded by the typical splash apron one routinely sees around impact craters in the mid- and high-latitude northern lowland plains, where there is a lot of near surface ice.
The bumpy mound seen in high resolution on the floor of this crater could very well be buried glacial ice, as it mimics similar features in the many craters in the mid-latitudes of Mars. But is it buried ice? The location says otherwise.
» Read more
Click for original image.
Today’s cool image from Mars is not so much unique visually as it is unique in terms of its location. The picture to the right, rotated, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was taken on January 31, 2023 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It shows the northern rim of a small crater, with its floor filled with an intriguing mound of material.
The picture was labeled a “terrain sample”, which suggests it wasn’t taken as part of any specific research project by instead to fill a gap in the camera’s schedule. To maintain the camera’s proper temperature, it is necessary to take pictures regularly, and when the camera team finds a gap that is too long, they fill it by choosing some almost random target in that gap that might be interesting. Sometimes it is, sometimes not.
In this case I strongly suspect this target was hardly random. The picture title also mentions MRO’s now retired radar CRISM instrument, which was used to detect evidence of underground ice. My guess is that the camera team thus likely decided to image this crater in high resolution because that radar data suggested the presence of underground ice.
This guess is strongly confirmed by a context camera picture taken of this crater on September 1, 2008. The crater appears surrounded by the typical splash apron one routinely sees around impact craters in the mid- and high-latitude northern lowland plains, where there is a lot of near surface ice.
The bumpy mound seen in high resolution on the floor of this crater could very well be buried glacial ice, as it mimics similar features in the many craters in the mid-latitudes of Mars. But is it buried ice? The location says otherwise.
» Read more
Pushback: Arizona drops trespassing charges against student for handing out the Constitution at Arizona State U
Tim Tizon (r) discussing free speech with another student on
March 3, 2022 at that banned YAL table on the ASU campus.
They’re coming for you next: Today’s story is a followup of a February blacklist story. Tim Tizon, a Arizona State University (ASU) student at the time of the incident in March 2022, had been charged with trespass by the university when he set up a Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) table on campus to hand out free copies of the U.S. Constitution.
The location was a designated space for free speech and had not been reserved by anyone. His table was not blocking anything, as numerous witness testified. Yet, school officials showed up and demanded he leave, moving his table to a remote part of the campus where no one would see it. Apparently, Arizona State University officials were uncomfortable with the ideals of freedom and law as stated by Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Tizon however refused to move, and was charged with trespass, convicted, and sentenced to a fine $300 plus fifteen hours of community service.
» Read more
Tim Tizon (r) discussing free speech with another student on
March 3, 2022 at that banned YAL table on the ASU campus.
They’re coming for you next: Today’s story is a followup of a February blacklist story. Tim Tizon, a Arizona State University (ASU) student at the time of the incident in March 2022, had been charged with trespass by the university when he set up a Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) table on campus to hand out free copies of the U.S. Constitution.
The location was a designated space for free speech and had not been reserved by anyone. His table was not blocking anything, as numerous witness testified. Yet, school officials showed up and demanded he leave, moving his table to a remote part of the campus where no one would see it. Apparently, Arizona State University officials were uncomfortable with the ideals of freedom and law as stated by Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Tizon however refused to move, and was charged with trespass, convicted, and sentenced to a fine $300 plus fifteen hours of community service.
» Read more
Starship prototype #25 is rolled to launchpad for static fire engine tests
Click for original image.
SpaceX yesterday evening rolled its 25th prototype of its Starship spacecraft to its suborbital launchpad at Boca Chica, as shown on the image to the right, for a planned static fire engine test of its six Raptor engines.
If all goes well, the company hopes to stack this prototype on top of the ninth prototype of Superheavy and complete the second test orbital flight of the entire rocket as early as June 15, 2023, with a launch window as long as six months according to the company’s FCC communications license application.
The actual launch date however remains very uncertain, for several reasons. The FAA must issue a launch license, and it won’t do that until it is satisfied the investigation into the first launch failure is complete. That launch approval will also likely be delayed because of the lawsuit against that agency for issuing the previous launch license.
Click for original image.
SpaceX yesterday evening rolled its 25th prototype of its Starship spacecraft to its suborbital launchpad at Boca Chica, as shown on the image to the right, for a planned static fire engine test of its six Raptor engines.
If all goes well, the company hopes to stack this prototype on top of the ninth prototype of Superheavy and complete the second test orbital flight of the entire rocket as early as June 15, 2023, with a launch window as long as six months according to the company’s FCC communications license application.
The actual launch date however remains very uncertain, for several reasons. The FAA must issue a launch license, and it won’t do that until it is satisfied the investigation into the first launch failure is complete. That launch approval will also likely be delayed because of the lawsuit against that agency for issuing the previous launch license.
Capstone does lunar fly-by, takes first lunar pictures, completes main mission
Click for original image.
The smallsat engineering test lunar orbiter Capstone has now successfully ended its primary mission, completing six months of operation in the near-rectilinear halo orbit that NASA’s Lunar Gateway manned space station intends to fly.
To put a final touch on that main mission, in May mission managers at the private company Advanced Space also completed two additional experiments. On May 3, 2023 they performed a close-fly of the Moon, using the spacecraft’s camera for the first time to take the picture of the Moon to the right.
Then, on May 9 Capstone successfully tested navigation technology in conjunction with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), also in orbit around the Moon.
During the May 9 experiment, CAPSTONE sent a signal to LRO designed to measure the distance and relative velocity between the two spacecraft. LRO then returned the signal to CAPSTONE, where it was converted into a measurement. The test proved the ability to collect measurements that will be utilized by CAPS software to determine the positioning of both spacecraft. This capability could provide autonomous onboard navigation information for future lunar missions.
The mission now enters its extended mission, planned to last at least a year.
Click for original image.
The smallsat engineering test lunar orbiter Capstone has now successfully ended its primary mission, completing six months of operation in the near-rectilinear halo orbit that NASA’s Lunar Gateway manned space station intends to fly.
To put a final touch on that main mission, in May mission managers at the private company Advanced Space also completed two additional experiments. On May 3, 2023 they performed a close-fly of the Moon, using the spacecraft’s camera for the first time to take the picture of the Moon to the right.
Then, on May 9 Capstone successfully tested navigation technology in conjunction with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), also in orbit around the Moon.
During the May 9 experiment, CAPSTONE sent a signal to LRO designed to measure the distance and relative velocity between the two spacecraft. LRO then returned the signal to CAPSTONE, where it was converted into a measurement. The test proved the ability to collect measurements that will be utilized by CAPS software to determine the positioning of both spacecraft. This capability could provide autonomous onboard navigation information for future lunar missions.
The mission now enters its extended mission, planned to last at least a year.
Lucy makes course correction in preparation for 1st asteroid fly-by
Lucy’s route through the solar system
The asteroid probe Lucy on May 9, 2023 fired its engines to successfully make a minor course correction in preparation for a fly by of the asteroid Dinkinesh, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Even though the spacecraft is currently travelling at approximately 43,000 mph (19.4 km/s), this small nudge is enough to move the spacecraft nearly 40,000 miles (65,000 km) closer to the asteroid during the planned encounter on Nov. 1, 2023. The spacecraft will fly a mere 265 miles (425 km) from the small, half-mile- (sub-km)-sized asteroid, while travelling at a relative speed of 10,000 mph (4.5 km/s).
Dinkinesh, the white dot inside the main asteroid belt in the lower left of the map to the right, is the first of eight asteroids Lucy will fly past.
Lucy’s route through the solar system
The asteroid probe Lucy on May 9, 2023 fired its engines to successfully make a minor course correction in preparation for a fly by of the asteroid Dinkinesh, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Even though the spacecraft is currently travelling at approximately 43,000 mph (19.4 km/s), this small nudge is enough to move the spacecraft nearly 40,000 miles (65,000 km) closer to the asteroid during the planned encounter on Nov. 1, 2023. The spacecraft will fly a mere 265 miles (425 km) from the small, half-mile- (sub-km)-sized asteroid, while travelling at a relative speed of 10,000 mph (4.5 km/s).
Dinkinesh, the white dot inside the main asteroid belt in the lower left of the map to the right, is the first of eight asteroids Lucy will fly past.
NASA picks Blue Origin’s partnership for building second manned lunar lander
An artist’s concept of Blue Moon
NASA today announced that it has chosen the partnership led by Blue Origin to build a second manned lunar lander for its Artemis program.
Blue Origin will design, develop, test, and verify its Blue Moon lander to meet NASA’s human landing system requirements for recurring astronaut expeditions to the lunar surface, including docking with Gateway, a space station where crew transfer in lunar orbit. In addition to design and development work, the contract includes one uncrewed demonstration mission to the lunar surface before a crewed demo on the Artemis V mission in 2029. The total award value of the firm-fixed price contract is $3.4 billion.
The other partners in the contract are Draper, Astrobotic, and Honeybee Robotics.
This is NASA’s second contract for a lunar lander, with SpaceX’s Starship the first. The idea is to have two landers available from competing companies for both competition and redundancy, similar to the approach the agency has used for its manned ferry service to ISS, using SpaceX and Boeing. I wonder if NASA’s experience on the Moon will be similar to that ferry service, whereby only SpaceX so far has been able to deliver. The track record of Blue Origin suggests it will do about as poorly as Boeing has with Starliner.
An artist’s concept of Blue Moon
NASA today announced that it has chosen the partnership led by Blue Origin to build a second manned lunar lander for its Artemis program.
Blue Origin will design, develop, test, and verify its Blue Moon lander to meet NASA’s human landing system requirements for recurring astronaut expeditions to the lunar surface, including docking with Gateway, a space station where crew transfer in lunar orbit. In addition to design and development work, the contract includes one uncrewed demonstration mission to the lunar surface before a crewed demo on the Artemis V mission in 2029. The total award value of the firm-fixed price contract is $3.4 billion.
The other partners in the contract are Draper, Astrobotic, and Honeybee Robotics.
This is NASA’s second contract for a lunar lander, with SpaceX’s Starship the first. The idea is to have two landers available from competing companies for both competition and redundancy, similar to the approach the agency has used for its manned ferry service to ISS, using SpaceX and Boeing. I wonder if NASA’s experience on the Moon will be similar to that ferry service, whereby only SpaceX so far has been able to deliver. The track record of Blue Origin suggests it will do about as poorly as Boeing has with Starliner.
SpaceX launches another 22 upgraded Starlink satellites into orbit
Using its Falcon 9 rocket SpaceX early today successfully launched another 22 upgraded Starlink satellites into orbit, lifting off from Cape Canaveral.
The first stage completed its fifth flight, landing successfully on a drone ship in the Atlantic. The fairings completed their eighth flight.
The leaders in the 2023 launch race:
32 SpaceX
18 China
6 Russia
4 Rocket Lab
American private enterprise now leads China 36 to 18 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 36 to 30. SpaceX by itself only trails the entire world combined, including American companies, 32 to 34.
Using its Falcon 9 rocket SpaceX early today successfully launched another 22 upgraded Starlink satellites into orbit, lifting off from Cape Canaveral.
The first stage completed its fifth flight, landing successfully on a drone ship in the Atlantic. The fairings completed their eighth flight.
The leaders in the 2023 launch race:
32 SpaceX
18 China
6 Russia
4 Rocket Lab
American private enterprise now leads China 36 to 18 in the national rankings, and the entire world combined 36 to 30. SpaceX by itself only trails the entire world combined, including American companies, 32 to 34.
Zbigniew Rybczyński – The Orchestra (final scene)
An evening pause: Music is of course Ravel’s Bolero. This provides us an elegant thumbnail history of the Soviet Union using dance, choreography, and clever filming. And it is honest, showing how the whole thing was run by gangstas, as all such top-down communist/socialist societies are, and as America is now adopting. More information about the entire work here.
Hat tip Dave McCooey.
The old blacklisting against Jews has now been enthusiastically renewed on American campuses
The goal of college diversity programs for Jews
They’re coming for you next: Rather than write a column today (I feel very burnt out by all that I read), I would instead like to point my readers to this detailed overview of the return of wide-spread and pervasive anti-Semitism at American universities, all under the guise of the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) mantra, which in itself is merely a restatement of “critical race theory,” which is also merely a rewording of basic Marxist racism.
This quote sums the article up:
[T]he DEI regime is key to understanding the climate on college campuses for Jewish students. Our desire to quantify everything has led the network of Jewish advocacy groups in the United States to measure anti-Semitism by “incidents.” That is certainly part of it—but only part. It is unnerving to see a swastika or “from the river to the sea” scrawled in chalk on the sidewalk outside a campus Hillel. But what those incident reports don’t show are actions and thought leadership sometimes orders of magnitude more sinister.
In an atmosphere where DEI has great sway, merely to denounce anti-Semitic violence is to risk one’s job, reputation, career, livelihood. And to express one’s Judaism openly on college campuses in that atmosphere requires a dose of courage no one should be required to show just to live a day-to-day life. In 2021, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law surveyed “openly Jewish” college students and found that nearly 70 percent “personally experienced or were familiar with an anti-Semitic attack in the past 120 days.” In addition, more than 65 percent “have felt unsafe on campus due to physical or verbal attacks, with one in 10 reporting they have feared they themselves would be physically attacked.” And, the Brandeis Center continues, roughly 50 percent “have felt the need to hide their Jewish identity.”
Of those who hid their identity on campus, 30 percent did so because they were worried about how their professors would treat them. And why wouldn’t they worry? George Washington University sided with the professor who harassed Jewish students and retaliated when they objected—all in the name of “diversity.”
The story recounts many examples of this kind of bigotry, all endorsed and even instigated by the diversity officers at the colleges, with many of those stories already specifically described by me in past blacklist columns. What makes this article useful is how it takes a wider view to clearly illustrate how the administrative culture of academia is now hand-in-glove with anti-Semitism, and is working hard to encourage it at all levels.
The goal of college diversity programs for Jews
They’re coming for you next: Rather than write a column today (I feel very burnt out by all that I read), I would instead like to point my readers to this detailed overview of the return of wide-spread and pervasive anti-Semitism at American universities, all under the guise of the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) mantra, which in itself is merely a restatement of “critical race theory,” which is also merely a rewording of basic Marxist racism.
This quote sums the article up:
[T]he DEI regime is key to understanding the climate on college campuses for Jewish students. Our desire to quantify everything has led the network of Jewish advocacy groups in the United States to measure anti-Semitism by “incidents.” That is certainly part of it—but only part. It is unnerving to see a swastika or “from the river to the sea” scrawled in chalk on the sidewalk outside a campus Hillel. But what those incident reports don’t show are actions and thought leadership sometimes orders of magnitude more sinister.
In an atmosphere where DEI has great sway, merely to denounce anti-Semitic violence is to risk one’s job, reputation, career, livelihood. And to express one’s Judaism openly on college campuses in that atmosphere requires a dose of courage no one should be required to show just to live a day-to-day life. In 2021, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law surveyed “openly Jewish” college students and found that nearly 70 percent “personally experienced or were familiar with an anti-Semitic attack in the past 120 days.” In addition, more than 65 percent “have felt unsafe on campus due to physical or verbal attacks, with one in 10 reporting they have feared they themselves would be physically attacked.” And, the Brandeis Center continues, roughly 50 percent “have felt the need to hide their Jewish identity.”
Of those who hid their identity on campus, 30 percent did so because they were worried about how their professors would treat them. And why wouldn’t they worry? George Washington University sided with the professor who harassed Jewish students and retaliated when they objected—all in the name of “diversity.”
The story recounts many examples of this kind of bigotry, all endorsed and even instigated by the diversity officers at the colleges, with many of those stories already specifically described by me in past blacklist columns. What makes this article useful is how it takes a wider view to clearly illustrate how the administrative culture of academia is now hand-in-glove with anti-Semitism, and is working hard to encourage it at all levels.
May 18, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Spanish startup company PLD completes 5 second static fire test of suborbital rocket Miura-1
The company has still not announced a launch date.
- Chinese pseudo-company Galactic Energy unveils its Pallas-1 rocket
This version, not yet launched, is not reusable in any way, but the pseudo-company also shows video of a future version landing exactly like the Falcon 9.
- Sierra Space touts the trash compactor it has developed for future space stations
Of all the companies in Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef space station partnership, Sierra Space appears to be getting the most done, with the partnership’s “leader” Blue Origin far in the rear, apparently accomplishing nothing.
- UK government says it has no interest in buying bankrupt Virgin Orbit
We should know Virgin Orbit’s fate on May 24th.
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Spanish startup company PLD completes 5 second static fire test of suborbital rocket Miura-1
The company has still not announced a launch date.
- Chinese pseudo-company Galactic Energy unveils its Pallas-1 rocket
This version, not yet launched, is not reusable in any way, but the pseudo-company also shows video of a future version landing exactly like the Falcon 9.
- Sierra Space touts the trash compactor it has developed for future space stations
Of all the companies in Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef space station partnership, Sierra Space appears to be getting the most done, with the partnership’s “leader” Blue Origin far in the rear, apparently accomplishing nothing.
- UK government says it has no interest in buying bankrupt Virgin Orbit
We should know Virgin Orbit’s fate on May 24th.
Chaos in the southern cratered highlands of Mars
Click for full image.vi
Today’s cool image takes us to a part of the cratered southern highlands of Mars that I have not featured much previously. The picture to the right, rotated, cropped, and reduced to post here, was taken on March 7, 2023 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It shows what appears to be a collection of rough hills and mesas surrounded by a sea of smooth ground that at the base of the cliffs seems to end abruptly.
The smooth ground is probably mantled by a layer of dust and debris. Since this location is at 36 degrees south latitude, there is also probably near surface ice under that layer. The abrupt edges likely indicate where the increasing slope next to the mesas and mounds caused that ice to be exposed and thus sublimate away.
As for the location, we must go to the overview map.
» Read more
Click for full image.vi
Today’s cool image takes us to a part of the cratered southern highlands of Mars that I have not featured much previously. The picture to the right, rotated, cropped, and reduced to post here, was taken on March 7, 2023 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). It shows what appears to be a collection of rough hills and mesas surrounded by a sea of smooth ground that at the base of the cliffs seems to end abruptly.
The smooth ground is probably mantled by a layer of dust and debris. Since this location is at 36 degrees south latitude, there is also probably near surface ice under that layer. The abrupt edges likely indicate where the increasing slope next to the mesas and mounds caused that ice to be exposed and thus sublimate away.
As for the location, we must go to the overview map.
» Read more
Astronomers discover Earth-sized planet 90 light years away
Using data from a variety of space- and ground-based telescopes astronomers have discovered Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star 90 light years away.
The exoplanet is dubbed LP 791-18 d, and is thought to be slightly bigger than the Earth. Its orbit, close to the star, causes it to be tidally-locked, with one hemisphere always facing the star. In addition, the presence of another much larger exoplanet in the system causes other tidal effects.
Astronomers already knew about two other worlds in the system before this discovery, called LP 791-18 b and c. The inner planet b is about 20% bigger than Earth. The outer planet c is about 2.5 times Earth’s size and more than seven times its mass.
During each orbit, planets d and c pass very close to each other. Each close pass by the more massive planet c produces a gravitational tug on planet d, making its orbit somewhat elliptical. On this elliptical path, planet d is slightly deformed every time it goes around the star. These deformations can create enough internal friction to substantially heat the planet’s interior and produce volcanic activity at its surface. Jupiter and some of its moons affect Io in a similar way.
The press release makes a big deal about the volcanism, even suggesting it could produce an atmosphere that, because the exoplanet sits on the inner edge of the habitable zone, could make the exoplanet habitable. These speculations are silly, considering the uncertainties, the exoplanet’s evolving orbit, and the star it orbits, and are being pushed mostly because the press office thinks this will be the only way the public will have any interest in the discovery.
While there is an infinitesimal chance there could be life here, a more likely scenario is that it is a lifeless volcano world like Jupiter’s moon Io. Even more probably however is that it is completely different than anything we have yet observed, in ways we can’t yet predict. To find out however we would need close-up observations that will likely not be possible without an interstellar mission.
Using data from a variety of space- and ground-based telescopes astronomers have discovered Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star 90 light years away.
The exoplanet is dubbed LP 791-18 d, and is thought to be slightly bigger than the Earth. Its orbit, close to the star, causes it to be tidally-locked, with one hemisphere always facing the star. In addition, the presence of another much larger exoplanet in the system causes other tidal effects.
Astronomers already knew about two other worlds in the system before this discovery, called LP 791-18 b and c. The inner planet b is about 20% bigger than Earth. The outer planet c is about 2.5 times Earth’s size and more than seven times its mass.
During each orbit, planets d and c pass very close to each other. Each close pass by the more massive planet c produces a gravitational tug on planet d, making its orbit somewhat elliptical. On this elliptical path, planet d is slightly deformed every time it goes around the star. These deformations can create enough internal friction to substantially heat the planet’s interior and produce volcanic activity at its surface. Jupiter and some of its moons affect Io in a similar way.
The press release makes a big deal about the volcanism, even suggesting it could produce an atmosphere that, because the exoplanet sits on the inner edge of the habitable zone, could make the exoplanet habitable. These speculations are silly, considering the uncertainties, the exoplanet’s evolving orbit, and the star it orbits, and are being pushed mostly because the press office thinks this will be the only way the public will have any interest in the discovery.
While there is an infinitesimal chance there could be life here, a more likely scenario is that it is a lifeless volcano world like Jupiter’s moon Io. Even more probably however is that it is completely different than anything we have yet observed, in ways we can’t yet predict. To find out however we would need close-up observations that will likely not be possible without an interstellar mission.
Final assembly of Chandrayaan-3 begins for launch still targeting mid-July
Click for interactive map.
Engineers at India’s space agency ISRO have begun the installation of the payloads onto its lunar lander/rover, Chandrayaan-3, which is still targeting a mid-July launch.
The map shows the landing location (red dot) near the Moon’s south pole (indicated by the cross). Nova-C is Intuitive Machines private lander, now aiming for a late summer launch at the earliest. Luna-25 is Russia’s first lunar lander since the 1970s, and is also targeting a launch in July.
India’s first attempt, Chandryaan-2, to land a rover at this spot on the Moon failed in 2019. This new mission is essentially a re-do, except that it does not include an orbiter, since the orbiter from Chandrayaan-2 is still operational and can do the job.
All in all, it increasingly looks like the next six months will see a lot of new landing attempts on the Moon.
Click for interactive map.
Engineers at India’s space agency ISRO have begun the installation of the payloads onto its lunar lander/rover, Chandrayaan-3, which is still targeting a mid-July launch.
The map shows the landing location (red dot) near the Moon’s south pole (indicated by the cross). Nova-C is Intuitive Machines private lander, now aiming for a late summer launch at the earliest. Luna-25 is Russia’s first lunar lander since the 1970s, and is also targeting a launch in July.
India’s first attempt, Chandryaan-2, to land a rover at this spot on the Moon failed in 2019. This new mission is essentially a re-do, except that it does not include an orbiter, since the orbiter from Chandrayaan-2 is still operational and can do the job.
All in all, it increasingly looks like the next six months will see a lot of new landing attempts on the Moon.
Student model rocket doubles altitude record
On April 16, 2023 students from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University launched a model rocket that more than doubled the altitude record for liquid-fueled model rockets.
The rocket reached an altitude of 47,732 feet, setting multiple records, including the highest undergraduate and collegiate amateur liquid rocket launch in the United States. It more than doubled the previous record of 22,000 feet.
Named Deneb after one of the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere, the rocket had a total burn time of 26.1 seconds, reaching a velocity of 1,150 mph (Mach 1.5).
I have embedded the live stream below, set to begin just before launch.
» Read more
On April 16, 2023 students from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University launched a model rocket that more than doubled the altitude record for liquid-fueled model rockets.
The rocket reached an altitude of 47,732 feet, setting multiple records, including the highest undergraduate and collegiate amateur liquid rocket launch in the United States. It more than doubled the previous record of 22,000 feet.
Named Deneb after one of the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere, the rocket had a total burn time of 26.1 seconds, reaching a velocity of 1,150 mph (Mach 1.5).
I have embedded the live stream below, set to begin just before launch.
» Read more
May 17, 2023 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast
Embedded below the fold in two parts.
To listen to all of John Batchelor’s podcasts, go here.
» Read more
Embedded below the fold in two parts.
To listen to all of John Batchelor’s podcasts, go here.
» Read more
Liza Minnelli – New York, New York
An evening pause: Performed live 1992. Now an ode to a city that no longer exists.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
May 17, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Tori Bruno outlines his thinking about the problems of future Mars exploration
A lot of blather, but his discussion of the radiation problem was interesting. I also found it most amusing that his NASA slide showing how NASA intends to return to the Moon very specifically did not include Starship as the manned lunar lander.
- Virgin Orbit is in negotiations to sell off its aircraft assets, including its 747 carrier
If true, this indicates that the company is dead, since no one has stepped forward to buy it whole and take it out of bankruptcy.
- An outline describing Ariane-6’s future from ArianeGroup suggests the company is moving fast to replace it with Prometheus, a proposed reusable first stage
The PowerPoint slide at the link however provides no timeline at all.
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Tori Bruno outlines his thinking about the problems of future Mars exploration
A lot of blather, but his discussion of the radiation problem was interesting. I also found it most amusing that his NASA slide showing how NASA intends to return to the Moon very specifically did not include Starship as the manned lunar lander.
- Virgin Orbit is in negotiations to sell off its aircraft assets, including its 747 carrier
If true, this indicates that the company is dead, since no one has stepped forward to buy it whole and take it out of bankruptcy.
- An outline describing Ariane-6’s future from ArianeGroup suggests the company is moving fast to replace it with Prometheus, a proposed reusable first stage
The PowerPoint slide at the link however provides no timeline at all.